Restorations at the Louvre
Officials at the Louvre recently revealed they are planning to restore Leonardo da Vinci's "La Belle Ferronnière," also known as "Portrait of an Unknown Woman." Here, we take a look at some other famous restorations at the Louvre.

China's Manufacturing Activity Slows
An official gauge of China's manufacturing activity showed a slowdown in the pace of expansion in January, adding to recent signs that the nation's economic growth is facing headwinds.

De Blasio to Cut Charter Funds
The New York City mayor's administration on Friday proposed pulling $210 million in funds slated for buildings for charters and nonprofits and using it instead for prekindergarten space.

Artist Solicits Poetry From Other Subterraneans
The New York City subway isn't the most obvious place to scout for poets. But on a recent frigid afternoon, the red line between Brooklyn and Washington Heights looked like something of a literary hotbed.

Last-Minute NSA Curbs Added Before Obama Speech
The day before President Obama gave his speech on the NSA, White House officials rushed to include additional surveillance restrictions to address concerns of privacy advocates and the his own review panel.

Navajos Vote to Try Junk-Food Tax
Leaders of the Navajo Nation along with those of other Native American tribes voted to impose higher taxes on junk foods while eliminating taxes on healthier alternatives.

Christie Knew of Lane Closures, Former Official's Attorney Says
The attorney representing David Wildstein, who was accused of ordering the lane closures, said in a letter that Mr. Christie knew of the September lane closures while they were happening.
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A Storm and a Social-Media Samaritan
As emergency services were overwhelmed by traffic jams and accidents, thousands of Atlantans used their cellphones to connect with good Samaritans on a Facebook group created by Michelle Sollicito.

Even Without Keystone Pipeline, Oil Has Flowed
Improved prospects for the Keystone XL pipeline cheered many parts of the North American energy industry, but the project is no longer as crucial to companies as it seemed just two years ago.

Now Is the Winter of Our Discontent
Driven by contorted bends of the jet stream, cold snaps and snow kept Northern and Southern states in a deep freeze, while unusually warm weather and record drought gripped the far West. Blame it on the Pacific.

Immigration Plan Moving Forward
President Obama signaled he might support the House Republican immigration framework, the latest sign that political leaders are looking for ways to clear impediments to a deal.

Pershing Square Cuts Beam Stake
Activist investor William A. Ackman's Pershing Square scaled back its stake in Beam Inc., weeks after the alcoholic-beverage maker agreed to be taken over by Japanese company Suntory.

Obama to Visit Saudi Arabia in March
President Barack Obama is preparing to visit Saudi Arabia in March for a summit with King Abdullah in a bid to smooth relations with the U.S.'s most important Arab ally.

Sales Skid After Holiday Bargains Left Buyers Full
Wal-Mart warned that its fourth-quarter earnings could fall below the low end of its prior forecast, citing government cuts to assistance programs and a harsh winter.

California Cuts Water Delivery in Drought
California officials have taken the unprecedented step of announcing plans to completely halt distribution of state water supplies to parched farms and cities this year amid worsening drought conditions.

Collector Alleges Art Fraud
New York art collector and dealer Asher Edelman filed a lawsuit against the Swiss company Artmentum, claiming his art-financing firm was the victim of a fraudulent deal involving the proposed sale of more than 100 works by masters such as Picasso, Monet, van Gogh and Matisse.

'Broad' Effort to Help Women in Business
Sallie Krawcheck says she has big ambitions to transform the 85 Broads network of elite female financiers into a force to improve economic opportunities for women and invest in women-owned businesses.

Ecuador Fines Leading Newspaper Over Cartoon
The Ecuadorean government has fined newspaper El Universo, saying a political cartoon it recently published was defamatory and promoted social unrest, stoking concerns about press freedom in the South American country.

Chinese New Year for Classical Music Fans
To celebrate the Chinese New Year, the New York Philharmonic brings Chinese dancers to Lincoln Center's plaza and performs a concert of traditional Chinese and Western classical music.

BofA Settlement Gets Partial Approval
A New York state judge approved most of an $8.5 billion deal Bank of America struck with investors over crisis-era mortgage losses but withheld approval on one piece of the agreement, depriving the banking giant of a complete victory.

FDA Probes Risks of Testosterone-Boosting Drugs
The FDA said it is investigating the possible increased risk of stroke, heart attack and death in men who are taking testosterone-boosting products for the condition widely called "low-T."

House GOP Seeks Consensus on Debt
House Republicans continued to discuss what they will demand in return for an increase in the debt ceiling, focusing Friday on policy changes that would be smaller in scale than in the past.

Bets on Rising Natural Gas Prices Hit Seven-Year High
Natural gas speculators such as hedge funds were strongly betting on rising prices in the days before a series of volatile price swings hit the market, according to data from U.S. commodity regulators.

The Kristallnacht Comparison Is an Inappropriate One
The letter from Tom Perkins comparing the "demonization of the rich" to "fascist Nazi Germany" and the persecution of German Jews during Kristallnacht offers a vivid case in point of how American discourse is being cheapened and coarsened by facile comparisons to the Holocaust.

Assessing Results of the Half-Century War on Poverty
For Paul Ryan, solving poverty seems to be much more about saving money than lifting the poor out of desperation. Not everyone has bootstraps to pull themselves up.

Five Best: Henry Hitchings
The author of "Sorry! The English and Their Manners" recommends "How to Be a Brit," by George Mikes, "The Pursuit of Love," by Nancy Mitford, "Cecilia," by Fanny Burney, "Cold Cream," by Ferdinand Mount, and "Don't: A Manual of Mistakes and Improprieties More or Less Prevalent in Conduct and Speech," by Oliver Bell Bunce.

World Fuel Sued Over Deadly Derailment
Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway's bankruptcy trustee is suing the owner of the crude oil its train was carrying when it derailed last summer in Quebec over its alleged negligence in the deadly accident that killed 47 people.

Another Road to Freedom
James Meredith's 1966 march to register black voters seemed quixotic, but violence made it front-page news. W. Ralph Eubanks reviews Aram Goudsouzian's "Down to the Crossroads."

How the Bonds Were Finally Broken
The final chapter in an epic history of slavery in the Atlantic world explains how the practice finally came to an end. John Stauffer reviews David Brion Davis's "The Problem of Slavery in the Age of Emancipation."

Obama Supporters Lay Groundwork for Library
Supporters of President Obama began laying the groundwork for his presidential library, announcing the formation of a foundation that will raise money and seek proposals for the project.

Learning to Cook as the Romans Do
Even Italian kids no longer eat the old way. Only the fussy expats serve healthy food at birthday parties. Max Watman reviews Jeannie Marshall's "The Lost Art of Feeding Kids."

Diesel Futures Climb to 22-Month High
Diesel futures roared to their highest in nearly two years on a continued shortage of heating oil in the Northeast, while crude oil weakened as traders turned toward safer investments.

Natural Gas Drops for Second Day
Natural-gas futures slid 1.4%, falling for the second straight session, as weather forecasts projected above-normal temperatures in the Northeast U.S. in the next few weeks.

Developed Nations' Currencies Take Hits
The Canadian dollar and Norwegian krone hit multiyear lows against the U.S. dollar, as the selloff hammering emerging-markets spread to developed countries' currencies.

Top Officials Held Private Meeting on Greece Bailout
Top officials peeled away from colleagues after a euro-zone finance ministers meeting in Brussels Monday evening for a private meeting to discuss mounting concerns over Greece's bailout.

FBI Investigating Powder Sent to Hotels Near Super Bowl
Initial tests have found that the white powder discovered in packages sent to six New Jersey hotels located near Sunday's Super Bowl is "not likely to be hazardous."

Greece Considering Telecom Sale to Deutsche Telekom
Greece is considering a Deutsche Telekom proposal to buy the last 10% stake in its former telecom monopoly, which would raise cash for its sputtering privitization program.

Missing Ukraine Protester Turns Up Badly Bruised
Dmytro Bulatov, an antigovernment protester who disappeared one week ago, turned up bloodied, bruised and missing part of an ear on the outskirts of the capital.

Weapons Inspector Says Syria Must Move Faster
The chief of the international chemical weapons agency said Syria must speed up the removal of lethal chemicals from its territory, but he took a more conciliatory tone than the U.S. a day earlier.

LightSquared Says It Will Work With Dish on Restructuring
LightSquared has directly indicated for the first time it would include Dish Network Chairman Ergen, the largest holder of the company's so-called LP debt, in its discussions.

Cameron Vows to Press On With EU Vote
Prime Minister David Cameron renewed his pledge to give Britons a say on whether the U.K. should stay in the EU after lawmakers scrapped legislation that would have committed Britain to holding a referendum on the issue

Moody's Raises Netflix View
Moody's expects Netflix to post another strong year of growth in 2014, as the ratings firm predicted the company will continue to add subscribers to its video-streaming service.

Making Sense of Haute Couture's Sneaker Moment
Sneakers are high-fashion footwear. At the haute couture shows in Paris, sneaker fever hit a new high as athletic footwear sprinted down the runways of Chanel and Dior, paired with little skirt suits and avant-garde gowns.

India Growth Worse Than Expected
India's weakest economic expansion in a decade was worse than previously estimated, as the government slashed its official growth figure for the last fiscal year in Asia's third-largest economy.

Microsoft Veteran in Contract Talks to Become Next CEO
Microsoft's board is in negotiations with veteran executive Satya Nadella to become the company's next CEO. His appointment could lead to a new role for Bill Gates.

House GOP Mulls Terms on Debt Ceiling
House Republicans, mulling their demands for raising the debt ceiling, focused on policy changes smaller in scale than last year's effort to repeal the health-care law

China's Suntech Power Plans U.S. Bankruptcy Filing
China's Suntech Power Holdings plans to file for U.S. bankruptcy under Chapter 15 protection as it negotiates with holders of more than $500 million in U.S. convertible bonds.

Santander Mexico Sees Better Credit Growth This Year
Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico projected that its credit portfolio will expand roughly 15% this year, with an outsized rise in loans to small businesses.

NSA Pick Is Steeped in Intelligence
The Obama administration's expected choice for a new chief of the National Security Agency is a career Navy officer with a background in cryptology and has served in top military intelligence posts.

Panama Frees Most of the Crew of Seized North Korea Ship
Ship seized in July when undeclared military cargo was found aboard; captain remains in custody and will face charges in Panama for arms trafficking.

Barclays Appoints Head of Compliance
Barclays PLC has appointed the head of its internal audit function, Mike Roemer, to run its compliance operations, as it seeks to rebuild relations with regulators and policy makers.

City Moves to Drop Stop-Frisk Appeal
Mayor de Blasio said Thursday the city is moving to drop its appeal of a ruling that found the New York Police Department's stop-and-frisk tactic is unconstitutional and would accept a federal monitor to oversee the practice.

Ukraine Leader Offers Amnesty to Protesters
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych signed a law repealing legislation that outlawed forms of antigovernment protest and stiffened penalties for mass disorder.

Bundesbank Would Favor End of ECB Sterilization
The Bundesbank would favor an end to the European Central Bank's policy of withdrawing large amounts of money from the banking system to offset its government-bond holdings, a person familiar with the matter said.

U.S., Germany Seek to Repair Relations
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday signaled their willingness to repair a bilateral relationship strained by revelations about U.S. spying on Germany.

After President Obama's fifth State of the Union address on Tuesday, Republicans have stolen the spotlight in proposing their own agenda. Jerry Seib describes the preparation of Republican positions on key issues as they begin a new year of legislation.

BATS, Direct Edge Merger Gets SEC Nod
The Securities and Exchange Commission approved the merger of BATS Global Markets and Direct Edge Holdings, and the deal is expected to close within the next few days.

Petrobras Crude Oil Output Falls Short of Target
Brazilian state-run energy giant Petrobras said that domestic crude oil production in 2013 fell short of the company's target as output at mature fields declined and new offshore platforms were delayed.

Five India-Made Cars Fail Crash Tests
Several of the most popular cars sold in India--including the Tata Nano and the Maruti Suzuki Alto--failed to protect passengers during collisions in independent crash tests on India-made automobiles by an international safety watchdog.

Cooper Tire Resolves Dispute at Chinese Plant
Cooper Tire should be able to resume filing financial reports, having reached an agreement with China's Chengshan Group and a labor union to resolve issues at their joint venture.

The 10-Point: Gerard Baker on Youth Sports, Lenovo, Easing Lending Standards, and More
A personal, guided tour to the best scoops and stories every day in The Wall Street Journal, from Editor in Chief Gerard Baker.

Aon Earnings Grow on Human-Resources Improvement
Aon PLC reported a 16% rise in fourth-quarter profits, driven in large part by improvements in its human-resources business, as it slightly beat Street estimates.

KCG Loss Widens on Merger Costs
KCG Holdings's fourth-quarter loss widened as the company was hurt by more merger costs, but revenue increased sharply and KCG made $300 million in principal payments on its $535 million loan during the quarter.

Japan Shows Renewed Strength
Japan's economy is displaying a strength not seen in years, with an improving labor market and a welcome rise in prices that suggest the country is on the road to overcoming years of deflationary pressures.

Vedanta Resources Profit Rises
Vedanta reported higher profit for its fiscal third quarter, driven by its oil, aluminum, and copper divisions, which more than offset lower profit from its international zinc operations.

Japan Stocks Have Worst Month Since Mid-2012
Tokyo shares closed out their worst month since May 2012 as jittery investors had little stomach for taking risk with the advent of the Lunar New Year, idling most other Asian markets with the exception of Australia.

Daiichi Sankyo Vows Drastic Steps to Improve Ranbaxy Quality
Japanese drug maker Daiichi Sankyo says it will take further action to improve quality control at its Ranbaxy unit, following a U.S. ban on ingredients made at a plant in India.

Australia's Myer Laments Merger Snub
After this week's disclosure that it is on the shopping list of its main competitor—Myer Holdings--upmarket high-street retailer David Jones is again under pressure to adapt to a changing world.

Russia Boosts Ruble's Trading Band
The Bank of Russia shifted the ruble's trading band higher Friday for the 13th time so far this year, in response to continued selling pressure on the Russian currency, which has hit a fresh five-year low.

Bids for Investec Australia Units Due Feb. 7
South African bank Investec has set a Feb. 7 deadline for indicative bids for three Australian units, including a professional-finance arm valued at about $1.8 billion.

Team Sports Don't Make Cut With Kids
Sunday's Super Bowl will be a celebration of America's sports passion, but fewer children are playing its most-popular sports: basketball, football, baseball and soccer.

Poll Finds 40% Would Sway Children Away From Football
Among American parents, 37% would encourage their child to play a sport other than football because of concerns about concussions, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.